One more Ippudo at the Orchard Road belt. The ramen exclusive to the Shaw Centre branch is the Tan Tan Tonkotsu ($16), with Japanese sesame paste blended with their signature tonkotsu broth, topped with spicy minced pork miso, pork loin chashu and coriander.

The broth is spicy but not overly, with a touch of zest from the fresh lemon. (Read: Ippudo SG Shaw Centre)

The revamp of Waterfall Ristorante Italiano at Shangri-La Hotel is in line with the appointment of Chef De Cuisine Chef Marco De Vincentis who specialises in Southern Italian cuisine. Of all the dishes presented, the pasta items were also my personal favourite, especially the Tagliolini Al Pesto Siciliano ($22) – long flat ribbon pasta with ricotta cheese, pine nut, basil and roasted almond.

Dim Sum Warzone
No matter how much I tell my friends to get mentally ready for the Lin Heung ‘warzone’ experience, they never really are. If you do not speak Cantonese (or at least pu tong hua), and have no understanding of the dim sum trolley culture – good luck.

First things first, grab your seats or wait around like a vulture till you get some empty ones. You definitely have to share the table with complete strangers.

Dim sum ladies would come out pushing trolleys of food. For popular items like the cheong fun, this is a competition of fastest runner and fastest hands first. The price is cheap, though quality nothing to shock about.

It is probably one of the 10 things you must experience in Hong Kong if you are a foodie.

Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant in the World
Tim Ho Wan is the hole-in-the-wall dim sum restaurant that scored One Michelin Star, thereby earning its reputation as the ‘cheapest Michelin Star restaurant in the world’.

His signature Baked Bun with Barbecued Pork (HK$16 for 3) is seriously the best I ever eaten. Very similar to a bolo bao, the sweet pastry covered bun is light and fluffy, with skin so thin, and saucy char siew pork within almost oozing out. Supercrazygood! The rest of the other dim sum were inconsistent, and service the typical hurried and no-frills. (Read: Tim Ho Wan)

Consistent Quality
If there is one word to describe the Lei Garden group, it would be ‘consistency’. Almost every single one of its restaurant has a Michelin star, and the “Principal” Mr Chan and his chefs make it a point to taste its food every day.

They were the ones who created the oh-so-famous XO sauce, and Chilled Mango Sago with Grape Fruit dessert, and customers never fail to order their classic-double boiled soups.

While not all dim sum items are hits, most would be better than the average restaurant out there.

Traditional Hong Kong Tea House
For a taste of old traditional Hong Kong tea house, Luk Yu that has been opened since 1933 would be a perfect backdrop. You almost feel that you are entering a Cantonese movie set, with the elderly service staff dressed in white urging to order Chinese tea.

Nouvelle Cantonese Styles
Cuisine Cuisine, located at one of my favourite hotels in Hong Kong at The Mira, has a different take to dim sum – with a mix of traditional and nouvelle Cantonese styles, and taste is not compromised.

The restaurant is sleek classy in emerald green, suitable for business lunches as well.

The Pan Fried Turnip Cakes with Parma Ham and Prawns in XO Chilli Sauce (H$68) is one of the best and most memorable I ever eaten (plus it’s photogenic), and its Steamed Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Dumplings, Baked Barbecued Pork Buns (HK$58 for 3 pieces) and Shanghai Steamed Xiao Long Bao (HK$48) are all made delicately, are rich and of high quality.

Highest in the World
The view literally stole my breath away, the food did too. Located on Level 102 of the Ritz Carlton, the 2-star Michelin restaurant is dramatically elegant with a picturesque view. Service is top-notch gentlemanly.

Chef Paul Lau Ping Lui is one of the top Cantonese chefs in Hong Kong, and items such as the Steamed Golden Shrimp Dumplings with Bambo Shoots and Asparagus (HK$86), Baked Abalone Puffs with Roasted Goose (HK$116), Foie Gras Dumplings wrapped with Shredded Pastry (HK$78), and famed Iberico Pork BBQ Char Siu (HK$268) are must-tries. Price is on the very high side too.

The restaurant founded in 1969 is surprisingly off-the-radar, at least to Singaporeans. I didn’t get the sense of super glamour and magnificence upon enter the restaurant, which could imply their food surely impresses.

Their creations strike a balance between being traditional in taste and innovative in terms of choice of ingredients. Every dim sum item I ordered was remarkable and a stamp of high quality.